Today, Motorola Europe send out the following info to it’s customers, elaborating on the current status of the much awaited Android 2.0.1 update for the MILESTONE smartphone:
‘Being open’ and ‘giving consumers choice’ have been two of the strongest arguments for Android, ever since its initial release.
While Apple has received lots of heat for controlling which applications make it into their virtual software retail store – a practice in fact pretty common for every retailer around the globe – does this mean that Google controls the Android ecosystem even closer than we thought it should would?
Motorola CLIQ users are still stuck with Android 1.6. Hence, the company is not exactly known for speedy updates. Do they now bluntly try to blame Google for what’s really their own fault?
Or has Google not been all that open with respect to how Android updates are handled?
One could argue, this might just be an indication of how closely Google works with it’s partners.
But clearly: Motorola does not say they’ve asked Google for some consulting or final quality assurance. They explicitly state, they are awaiting Google’s approval and can thus not proceed with what they consider being the finished update. Or, in other words: Blame Google. If it would be on us, you would all be updated already!
We’ve contacted Motorola to clarify A-Z the exact process that needs to be executed for an update to be rolled out to end users.
By the way, thanks to our beloved Editor in Chief, who happens to live in the United Kingdom, I today got my Nexus One shipped to Germany.
Given my somewhat negative position as towards many of the subtle usability flaws in Android’s user interface, that did not change after having used Android 2.1, I have to admit, it is a fantastic phone and might very well replace my iPhone 3GS.
Unfortunately, the US version which is currently shipping does not have multi-touch for Google’s native apps (Maps, Browser, etc.) and it doesn’t do turn-by-turn navigation for any route outside the US.
Besides that, it’s without any doubt the best Android powered smartphone you can get these. It delivers a far superior experience compared to the Milestone and every other Android powered device, I got my hands on.
Correction – Motorola CLIQ users are stuck with Android 1.5 (not 1.6).
I thought that google experience phones were in the flow that the manf. created the update and then google add it’s apps repackaged…. Then it got coordinated with the carrier and rolled out in a timely fashion?
Obviously, you guys are just fishing for phony controversies – thus, the lack of any serious research).
The Droid/Milestone line are ‘Google Experience’ phones. That means, in exchange for running a vanilla rom with the full complement of Google’s native apps, they get to wear a ‘with Google’ logo. In other words, licensing is involved. You know, like contracts and stuff.
So, how many licensors can you name who _don’t_ require some kind of active oversight/approval process as part of the deal?
Take your time. I’ll wait, right here.
Could you explain why? I obviously understand the many technical differences between ‘just’ being an app and being an operating system.
But we’re not talking technology here. It’s about commercial models and whether you control and restrict access to innovation, the thing people tend to blame Apple for. Or whether you keep everything absolutely open, the thing people tend to praise Google for, while it appears as if they have the same level of slow enterprise processes even for non Google Experience phones.
Well, the Droid is “with google” but the Milestone in Europe is not. And since it is the milestone that is awaiting the update, this is likely why users are a bit perturbed that they are waiting for google.
Android is an OS, not an app like you get in the iTunes store. Massive massive difference.
Sorry for letting you wait. :-)
I have to bounce back the “lack of serious research” you claim. The Milestone is not “Google Experience” phone. At least the one I purchased in Germany, does not have anything that states it would be one.
This is *exactly* why we were wondering that even manufacturers that do *not* do “Google Experience” phones have to go through an approval.
While license terms and approval is fine for me (and I fully understand and agree with Apple doing it for everything that’s sold *through* them) my article was emphasizing the fact that Google markets Android as being totally open while in fact they seem to impose approval processes even on non Google Experience devices.
That tremendously slows down to bring innovation to end users. Which clearly is what we see in Motorola’s device portfolio.